Date:	Tuesday 8 December 1942
Time:
Type:	Martin B-26B Marauder
Owner/operator:	United States Army Air Force (USAAF)
Registration:	41-17789
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Tampa Bay, 1 mi NE of Macdill Field, FL -   United States of America
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Macdill Field, FL
Destination airport:

Narrative:
On 8 December 1942, the B-26B 41-17789 of 495th BS, 344th BG took off at 1212 hrs from runway 9 of MacDill Field, near Tampa, Florida, for a formation flight and simulated bombing mission with another B-26. Shortly after taking off, the bomber began a turn to the left in a climbing attitude. From here on, the ship was seen flying to the northeast in a skid to the right before going into a violent yaw to the left with nose coming up higher all the time. It was then seen to stall and rollover into a spin to the left. It crashed into shallow water in Hillsboro Bay (the northeast part of Tampa Bay), one mile northeast of MacDill Field. The whole crew was killed.

Crew (all killed):
2nd Lt John E Williams (pilot)
2nd Lt Clarence O Parsons (co-pilot)
2nd Lt Norman J Linne (bombardier)
Sgt John Mazzarino (flight engineer)
Sgt Samuel G Lamond (radio operator)
S/Sgt David H Brown, Jr. (air gunner)

When the wreck was examined it was found that the fuel pump drive shaft of the port engine was broken. The committee investigating this accident concluded that the crash was caused by a loss of power on the left engine due to failure of the fuel pump shaft and the fact that the pilot pulled the nose up until the B-26 stalled and spun.

Mazzarino, of Brooklyn, New York, enlisted in the Air Corps in January 1942 and was survived by his widow Vita who he married in 1939.

"Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945. Volume 1, January 1941-June 1943", by Anthony J. Mireles. ISBN 0-7864-2788-4
Brooklyn Eagle newspapers, 9 December 1942 (available online at http://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/52668024/)
http://shopwornangel.imaginarynumber.net/344th-bg-kia-mia/
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Dec1942S.htm
http://usaafdata.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacDill_Air_Force_Base
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampa_Bay
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=27.849398&lon=-82.521057&z=11

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
08-Dec-2015 17:11	Laurent Rizzotti	Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]